The Latest
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Relieving Agile Tension: How to Write Small Stories That Still Have Value[article] There are two practical goals for user stories: Each story should be beneficial to the business, and each story should represent a small piece of work. However, there is tension between these rules, and they often push in opposite directions. This article discusses how to keep stories small and tasks manageable, while ensuring they retain business value. |
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STAREAST 2015 Interview with Richard Hundhausen on Real-World Software Testing[interview]
Video
In this interview, Richard Hundhausen talks about real-world software testing, his experience at STAREAST, the benefits of Scrum and agile, and how we can end the developer/tester dichotomy by bringing these two teams together. |
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Does Your Code Suffer from Broken Windows?[magazine] Common practice suggests that lower severity defects shouldn't hold up a product release. Jennifer Gosden believes that, just as broken windows in a home can invite crime, letting lower severity defects linger results in poor |
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User Story Heuristics: Understanding Agile Requirements[article] Agile emphasizes just-in-time requirements rather than upfront preparation. The requirements person—be it the product owner, business analyst, product manager, or someone else—embodies the understanding of what is needed, and the user story represents the work that needs doing. This article details what user stories are (and what they are not). |
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Do You Give Your Manager What She Wants or What She Needs?[magazine] High-stress situations arise when you have to respond to management's never-ending tough questions regarding product delivery. According to Johanna Rothman, you can properly set expectations without stress simply by understanding your manager's point of view. |
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The Art of Maximizing Work Not Done[article] One of the twelve principles behind the Agile Manifesto is “Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential.” Why is this principle called an art, while the others aren’t? And why should we maximize the amount of work "not" done? This article analyzes the importance of simplicity in agile projects. |
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How Continuous Delivery Improves Mobile App Quality and Speed: An Interview with Prathap Dendi[interview]
Podcast
In this interview, Ship.io general manager Prathap Dendi explores continuous delivery and the explosion of mobile development. He explains how we've applied the lessons learned from mobile development elsewhere, plus the most exciting trends now and looking forward. |
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Help Your Team Understand Its Iteration Burndown[article] A good key indicator for measuring how well your agile team is performing is the burndown chart. It’s a simple concept—as time passes, the amount of work to do decreases. Of course, there will be days when progress is not as expected or tasks end up larger than originally estimated. A burndown can help your team reset and keep stakeholders in the loop. |
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Six Ways to Use Business Analyst Superpowers in Agile[magazine] There are those agilists who believe there is no place for a business analyst on their team. Joy Beatty and James Hulgan, both experienced agile consultants, refute this belief and explain how business analysts can enhance the effectiveness of most any agile team. |
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Are You Ready for Go-Live? 8 Essential Questions[article] As real and daunting as scheduling pressures can be, they have to be balanced with the consequences of a potentially disastrous premature go-live. Don’t let all the reasons a system simply "must" be implemented by a target date overwhelm compelling evidence that it is not ready. Consider these eight questions honestly first. |
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Test Automation: Investment Today Pays Back Tomorrow[presentation]
Slideshow
The results of a recent survey, authored by IBM and TechWell, showed that testers want to spend more time automating, more time planning, and more time designing tests—and less time setting up test environments and creating test data. So, where should testers and their organizations invest... |
Al Wagner, IBM
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The Next Decade of Agile Software Development and Test[presentation]
Slideshow
After almost fifteen years of history with agile practices, J.B. Rainsberger sees some alarming trends in our attitudes, practices, and even what we teach about agile. At the same time, he sees some progress in approaches and technologies—e.g., behavior-driven development, naked... |
J.B. Rainsberger, JBRAINS.CA
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Reduce Test Automation Execution Time by 80%[presentation]
Slideshow
Software testers and quality assurance engineers are often pressured to cut testing time to ensure on-time product releases. Usually this means running fewer test cycles with the risk of worse software quality. As companies embrace a continuous integration (CI) that require frequent... |
Tanay Nagjee, Electric Cloud
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Usability Testing Goes Mobile[presentation]
Slideshow
The introduction of mobile devices and applications presents new challenges to traditional usability testing practices. Identifying the differences between usability testing techniques for traditional desktop applications and mobile applications is critical to ensuring their acceptance and... |
Susan Brockley, ExxonMobil
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If You Could Turn Back Time: Coaching New Testers[presentation]
Slideshow
If you could turn back time, what do you wish you had known when you started working as a tester? When you are new to testing, you are faced with daunting challenges. Recent college graduates may find it difficult to apply academic knowledge in practice. It is easy to get discouraged... |
Christin Wiedemann, Professional Quality Assurance, Ltd. and Richard Lu, Professional Quality Assurance, Ltd.
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